Sprint and Samsung announce a mobile DTV-enabled version of the Android-powered Moment

Sprint and Samsung are adding some spice to the Moment by incorporating mobile DTV into Samsung’s flagship Android device. The Moment will showcase Samsung’s ATSC Mobile DTV chip, a single chip DTV implementation that promises lower power utilization, smaller size and less cost than its multi-chip counterparts. The chip inside the handset will tune in DTV signals from local broadcast stations, allowing users to receive news, sports, prime-time TV and emergency alerts on the Moment’s 3.2 inch AMOLED screen. A mobile DTV-equipped version of the Moment will be rolled out in a limited trial to customers in Washington D.C and Baltimore in Q1 2010. Hit the jump for the full press release.Samsung Moment™, Exclusively from Sprint, Selected as First Mobile Phone to Demonstrate Mobile Digital TV Chip at International CES 2010

LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprint (NYSE: S) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile)1, the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States2, today announced that Samsung Moment™ will display a mobile phone demonstration of the North American mobile digital TV broadcasting standard during International CES 2010 in Las Vegas on January 7 – 10, 2010. Samsung Moment, exclusively from Sprint, will receive live digital TV using Samsung’s Mobile DTV Chip, the world’s first single-chip solution for the recently approved Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Mobile Digital TV standard. The ATSC Mobile Digital TV chip will allow Samsung Moment to receive live TV programming from local broadcast stations, including prime-time network programs, local news and sports and emergency alerts.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”

The companies also announced that the Mobile DTV-equipped Samsung Moment was selected for a showcase with Sprint customers in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets during the first quarter of 2010 — this is the first-ever consumer showcase of this technology. Moment was selected because of its 3.2-inch AMOLED display screen, which delivers crisp colors, bright pictures outdoors, and wide viewing angles. Samsung was the co-developer of the ATSC standard that is making mobile digital TV broadcasting possible on mobile phones, laptops, USB drives and other mobile devices. Samsung’s single-chip implementation of the standard—the world’s first—enables reception at lower power, size and cost than previous multi-chip solutions which separate the tuning and decoding functions between two or more chips.

“The selection of Samsung Moment as the first trial handset for mobile digital TV in the U.S. is an enormous honor for Samsung Mobile,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”

“Samsung Moment is already a customer favorite with its integrated and innovative Android™ platform so we are very excited to be able to offer it with the Samsung’s Mobile Digital TV chip to customers in the Washington and Baltimore areas,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “It is truly an amazing experience to watch local and network television on Moment with the benefit of its dynamic screen. This trial is a great opportunity for Sprint customers.”

“We are delighted to include the Samsung Moment as a key device to be used by Sprint customers during the Consumer Showcase in Washington DC this spring. Mobile DTV technology will allow DC area consumers to watch their favorite live programs with instantaneous access to local news, weather, emergency information, and of course their favorite entertainment programs broadcasted by eight local TV stations,” said Brandon Burgess CEO of ION Media Networks and President of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).

The OMVC is actively promoting mobile digital television technology within the U.S. broadcast industry to achieve widespread market penetration in 2010.

Samsung Moment, without the Mobile DTV chip, originally launched in November 2009 as Samsung’s first U.S. handset integrating the open and innovative Android™ platform with the high-speed connectivity of America’s most dependable 3G network3 (EVDO Rev. A.) and one of the best values in wireless with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM calling feature, available on Everything plans with data.

Samsung Moment represents a new generation of portable Internet access devices and provides access to built-in Google™ mobile services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™, as well as thousands of applications available in Android Market™. Moment is powered by an 800 MHz processor, making this device one of the fastest wireless phones available today. Moment is also designed with a full QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy messaging and email entry.

Customers can purchase Samsung Moment without Mobile DTV capabilities through all Sprint channels including Web (www.sprint.com), Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and our national retail partners. Retail pricing is currently $179.99 (excluding taxes) after a $50 instant savings and a $100 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement.

As charter members of the Open Handset Alliance™, Sprint and Samsung are closely aligned with the Android community. Through Android Market, Samsung Moment users can download more than 20,000 applications, widgets and games on their phone. Pandora®, ShopSavvyTM, TwitterTM, ShazamTM, amazon.com®, USA Today®, Flixster®, PacManTM, CraigslistCheckerTM, and MySpaceTM Mobile are among the countless well-liked applications already available on Android Market. Additionally, customers can access Sprint Navigation and Sprint exclusive applications NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM already preinstalled on the device. Samsung Moment is a perfect solution for anyone who wants the freedom to stay connected on the go and enjoy a PC-like experience.

About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving almost 49 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com.

1 Samsung Mobile is proud to provide ENERGY STAR-qualified power adapters with its mobile phones and accessories. ENERGY STAR qualified products use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.

3 “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength for the top 50 most populous U.S. markets (including Puerto Rico) from January 2008 to July 2009. Not all services are available on 3G, and coverage may default to a separate network when 3G is unavailable.

What is with all of these people spamming and promoting garbage on here these days???

mu$h da great

great idea, but they should have just implemented dtv in to a new android samsung phone. honestly I’m sure a few people still will after reading this but how many people are going to buy the less equiped version knowing this one is soon to be released ( more than likely for the same price)?

does anybody know of any new android phones scheduled to arrive on sprint any time soon?

rcmadiax

Stay tuned for the Sprint CES 2010 Presser…

Geraldine

Meh. Something about Sprint? I dunno? They could announce a top of the line WiMax iPhone and I still wouldn’t be interested. Many others I know feel the same.

Just something about the brand, company etc. that is not appealing.

Does anyone have Sprint anymore?

NICK

I DO

Joe

I do… and being that I used to use an ATT phone for work, and left Verizon to join Sprint, without a doubt Sprint comes out on top in quality and vale. Why pay more to get less? It’s just stupid.

mu$h da great

I have been as well for the last 8 years. @ this point I’m ready to jump ship for a better device though.lol I had my stuff packed until I found out t-mobile wasn’t getting the n900, I might end up messing with the nexus one if they open up the service plans for the subsidized version.

Cool Beans

Wtf Miguel? You’re describing Verizon. Tool bag.

bob a

Care? NO!
How about bringing us a decent Iphone competitor Sprint?

SprintFan

On a serious note, what type of device do you feel would be a decent IPhone competitor? Its obvious that no phone from any carrier is an IPhone killer because no device has killed the IPhones momentum. So what do you or anybody else feel would be a GREAT type of phone that would knock off the IPhone?

bob a

well.. nexus one is a serious iphone competitor.. htc bravo.. dell mini.. sony xperia… htc hd2….all of these announced for other carriers now or soon…..and what do we get from Sprint… tv on the ugly samsung clunky moment. and maybe some windows 7 phone by what.. the end of the year? PLEASE….

bob a

and yes..anything with a 3″ or 3.2″ screen is NOT and iphone competitor. and ugly clunky fat phones with keyboards are NOT iphone competitors

SprintFan

So you feel that all of these phones will meet or exceed the same sales numbers that the IPhone has. Well, i guess that remains to be seen. Now if TV was coming to the Eris im sure you would feel that it was the GREATEST thing ever right?

SprintFan

I think he’s talking to you bob.

bob a

eris is same as hero.. 3.2″ screen.. slow.. NOT an iphone competitor DOH how hard is that for you to understand?

bob a

and by the way sprintfan i’m a sprint user and sprint shareholder who has been patiently waiting a replacement for my sprint touch.. i wont’ accept crap.. and i’m about a week away from waving bye bye to Sprint forever because I’m sick of waiting and the end of 2010 is not gonna cut it.

SprintFan

Lets see, i brought up the eris tongue in cheek because its on Verizon and everyone on this site likes to suck them off even though they are robbing you blind with their plans. 2nd, if you are tired of waiting for Sprint to release your ultimate phone then leave and dont let the door hit you in the ass.

The people that post on this site are hilarious to me. My gosh, it seems as though some of you camp out on this site waiting for some small piece of news to come out like it is going to solve world peace or something. When it boils down, Wimax and LTE are both going to give the everyday consumer something they want which is the ability to surf the web faster, do video chat, IP TV, Full length video, etc.. A friend told me about this site and i thought i would come on to see how many feathers i could ruffle and boy it was easy. I enjoy having the best phone there is but i am not going to jizz all over myself everytime news comes out about a freaking modem. If you havent heard Sprint already has a 4G modem thats available to customers now. I’ll now leave you pathetic geeks to your modem and size of the screen conversation so that you can get a hard on and pleasure yourself. Peace.

bob a

you sound like you work in Sprint Corporate.. the same assholic attitude that has lost millions of customers over the last couple of years… and guess what? 3-6 mbps Wimax is a loser too with LTE rolling out at 50-100mbps in Norway coming here soon. Wimax is the Iden of tomorrow.. woohoo

Wow that sucks…I just bought a new moment a week ago. O well looks like the ol’ warranty exchange will be a idea in the future if I want the DTV chip. It’s a little large but a nice device with a unbeatable plan.

Androidawg

Oh my God what a bunch of morons. Did all of you just miss out on the announcement that someone has FINALLY put a Digital Television Receiver in a PHONE??? Holy crap. Free OTA TV on my phone. Not some streamed crap that sits and buffers all day, but real f-in TV!! This means something guys. It doesn’t matter what mobile provider is involved because ATSC tuners don’t work off of GSM, they just work. This can be added to any phone, on any network. Add in the mini projectors that are coming out now and you can watch 30 inch HDTV projected on a wall using your phone. There’s a bigger picture. Stop arguing over retarded fanboi crap. JEEZ!! And a big HELL YEAH for Samsung.

http://www.facebook.com/invectivelover jdean

I am happy that a dtv chip is in a phone now(no matter the provider)(I’ve had them all and currently have Tmo and they’re my favorite). Did it really take this long? I am not a HUGE techie but I know more than average… seems like this should have happened a while ago,no? Anyway, I just can’t picture myself using it. Maybe if I were VERY bored and my internet were down and cable is out and there’s a cell tower outage…might I actually consider watching Scrubs or American Idol on a 3 inch screen.

…wooo…yay for progress in tech anyway.

SprintFan

Uh oh! The i like to argue like i am 10 years old Miguel is at it again! Watch out Sprint fans…

Joe

Popularity doesn’t mean quality you turd… just because more people drive Pontiacs than Ferarris does that mean that a Pontiac is the superior car? I work in wireless and pretty much everybody that has ATT that I talk to only have them because they have the iphone. And about 95% of people that I talk to that have Verizon mainly have it because the majority of the people they know have Verizon so they think that they have to as well so they can talk “verizon to verizon” for free, so they mindlessly allow themselves to get ripped off. Plus I see a steadily increasing number of people that come to my store that are finally realizing that Verizon is ripping them off and they want to switch… I love it, I don’t even have to do any work to get these sales. In fact 6 of the 7 phones I sold my previous shift were ports from Verizon. Being that I use to have Verizon I can tell you from experience that the quality isn’t there, their “3g map” is BS, everywhere I went was all red, 3g everywhere, but yet data speeds were about equivalent to dial up. For them being the most expensive carrier that is pretty pitiful. And on top of that BGR did their own 3G test not too long ago… who came out on top, please remind me.

PS- I’m not “cheerleading” as you like to put it either, just pointing out facts.

SprintFan

Seriously, what do you mean? Your good at making comments such as “Why would any sober, rational consumer be a “FAN” of any company that takes your resources in exchange for a service they provide? “, but yet you dont explain what it means. So tell me how Sprint takes my resources for the service they provide?

Sprinter

Miguel Alvarez,

You need to work on your people skills, dude. Maybe people aren’t so much fans of Sprint as they are inclined to defend their actions when someone implies that they have made a stupid choice with no real backing to the alligation. Also, your knowledge of cellular markets work is off– so stop.

“What’s “more” for you is less for the majority. The sheer numbers don’t lie.” They do what they’re told, hence the billions spent on marketing- and, since the invention of statistics, when have numbers not lied?

Having the nations largest 3g network sounds great… except most Americans don’t live in Middle-of-Nowhere, MT thus we couldn’t care less about signal strength there. And, since I don’t make a habit of driving through the Bonneville Salt Flats (I simply fly over them along with 99% of Verizon’s customers) I’m not impressed by their coverage there.

Everyone knows AT&T sucks on all fronts (including there customers), but you know what doesn’t suck? The latest and greatest phones. GSM has its perks and having great phone selection is a big one.

Sprint is cheap and roams on Verizon towers where they don’t have coverage. I didn’t choose Sprint – my work did – but the service they provide is good. So chill out already. And stop being such a d*c*.

Later Gator.

SprintFan

Great post Joe. I appreciate your information. Miguel of course could not answer my question and instead comes up with crap. He is such a hypocrite! The guy sucks off Verizon every chance he gets! Also, I am not a cheerleader but rather a smart consumer who doesn’t pay an arm and a leg for my voice, messaging, and data services.

SprintFan

What a joke…Enough said.

Bugs

Migual Alvarez needs to be abolished from BGR. Isn’t there some sort of maximum number of dislikes you can recieve and then be booted out the door. Migual has like 40+ in this string alone.